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Communicable Disease Reporting
The Communicable Disease Prevention and Surveillance program at the Vilas County Health Department monitors the occurrence of specific diseases and works to prevent the spread of those diseases on a community-wide basis. Communicable or infectious diseases are illnesses caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. They may be transmitted or spread:
- from one infected person to another
- from an animal to a human
- from an inanimate object (such as a doorknob or a tabletop) to a human
Physicians, hospitals, and clinics are required by law to report certain communicable diseases to the local health department. It is the health department's responsibility to follow-up on these disease/illnesses as they are considered to have a great public health impact. Nurses at the health department provide confidential consultation and follow-up on all communicable diseases.
For more information on communicable diseases, see the fact sheets provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.